CBT

Study Guide
CBT STUDY GUIDE TEST OF COMPETENCE PART 1

Please book the Test of Competence once you have studied and reviewed the
following modules. This Guide can be used in conjunction with the NMC blue Print:
NMC Blue Print Link:

http://www.nmcuk.org/Documents/Registration/Test%20of%20competence%
20-%20Part%20one%20- %20nursing%20test%20blueprint.pdf
This information is a guide to help you with your revision for the Test of
Competence Part 1 (CBT). The test covers 4 Domains and 1 field specific
competency relating to your specialism – in this case ‘Adult Nursing’. The Study
Plan provided is only a guide, individuals should review the modules and adjust
study time according to the individual’s personal circumstances.

CONTENTS:

Generic Nursing Domains:

 Domain 1: Professional values

 Domain 2: Communication and interpersonal
skills
 Domain 3: Nursing practice and decision
making
 Domain 4: Leadership, management and team

Field Specific competencies:

 Adult Nursing
 Domain 1: Professional values
You must be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following competencies,
please refer to the NMC blue print for further reading.

Competency 1.

All nurses must practice with confidence The code: Standards of conduct,
performance and ethics for nurses and midwives (NMC,2008), and within other
recognised ethical and legal frameworks. They must be able to recognise and
address ethical challenges relating to people's choices and decision-making about
their care, and act within the law to help them and their families and carers find
acceptable solutions.

Competency 2.

All nurses must practice in a holistic, non- judgemental, caring and sensitive
manner that avoids assumptions, supports social inclusion; recognises and
respects individual choice; and acknowledges diversity. Where necessary, they
must challenge inequality, discrimination and exclusion from access to care.

Competency 3.

All nurses must support and promote the health, wellbeing, rights and dignity of
people, groups, communities and populations. These include people whose lives
are affected by ill health, disability, ageing, death and dying. Nurses must
understand how these activities influence public health.

Competency 4.

All nurses must work in partnership with service users, carers, families, groups,
communities and organisations. They must manage risk, and promote health and
wellbeing while aiming to empower choices that promote self -care and safety.

Competency 5. All nurses must fully understand the nurse's various role,
responsibilities and functions, and adapt their practice to meet the changing needs
of people, group’s communities and populations.

Competency 6. All nurses must understand the roles and responsibilities of other
health and social care professionals, and seek to work with them collaboratively
for the benefit of all who need care.
Competency 7. All nurses must be responsible and accountable for keeping their
knowledge and skills up to date through continuing professional development.
They must aim to improve their performance and enhance the safety and quality
of care through evaluation, supervision and appraisal.

Competency 8. All nurses must practice independently, recognising the limits of

their competence and knowledge. They must reflect on these limits and seek
advice from, or refer to other professionals where necessary. Competency 9. All
nurses must appreciate the value of evidence in practice, be able to understand
and appraise research findings to their work, and identify areas for further
Investigation.

Domain 2: Communication and

Interpersonal Skills
Competency 1. All nurses must build partnerships and therapeutic relationships
through safe, effective and nondiscriminatory communication. They must take
account of individual differences, capabilities and needs.

Competency 2. All nurses must use a range of communication skills and

technologies to support person-centred care and enhance quality and safety. They
must ensure people receive all the information they need in a language and
manner that allows them to make informed choices and share decision making.
They must recognise when language interpretation or other communication
support is needed and know how to obtain it.

Competency 3. All nurses must use the full range of communication methods,
including verbal, non-verbal and written, to acquire, interpret and record their
knowledge and understanding of people's needs. They must be aware of their own
values and beliefs and the impact this may have on their communication with
others. They must take account of the many different ways in which people
communicate and how they may be influenced by ill health, disability and other
factors, and be able to recognise and respond effectively when a person finds it
hard to communicate.

Competency 4. All nurses must recognise when people are anxious or in distress
and respond effectively, using therapeutic principles, to promote wellbeing,
manage personal safety and resolve conflict. They must use effective
communication strategies and negotiation techniques to achieve best outcomes,
respecting the dignity and human right of all concerned. They must know when to
consult a third party and how to make referrals for advocacy, mediation or
arbitration.
Competency 5. All nurses must use therapeutic principles to engage maintain and,
where appropriate, disengage from professional caring relationships, and must
always respect professional boundaries.

Competency 6. All nurses must take every opportunity to encourage health

promoting behaviour through education, role modelling and effective
communication.

Competency 7. All nurses must maintain accurate, clear and complete records,
including the use of electronic formats, using appropriate and plain language.

Competency 8. All nurses must respect individual rights to confidentiality and

keep information secure and confidential in accordance with the law and relevant
regulatory frameworks, taking account of local protocols. They must actively
share personal information with others when the interests of safety and
protection override the need for confidentiality.
 Domain 3: Nursing practice and
decision making
Competency 1. - All nurses must use up-to-date knowledge and evidence to
assess, plan, deliver and evaluate care, communicate findings, influence change
and promote health and best practice. They must make person-centered, evidence
based judgements and decisions in partnership with others involved in the care
process, to ensure high quality care. They must be able to recognise when the
complexity of clinical decisions requires specialist knowledge and expertise and,
consult or refer accordingly.

Competency 2. - All nurses must possess a broad knowledge of the structure and
functions of the human body, and other relevant knowledge from the life,
behavioral and social sciences as applied to health, ill health, disability, aging and
death. They must have an in-depth knowledge of common physical and mental
health problems and treatments, including co-morbidity and physiological and
psychological vulnerability.

Competency 3. - All nurses must carry out comprehensive, systematic nursing

assessments that take account of relevant physical, social, cultural, psychological,
spiritual, genetic and environmental factors, in partnership with service users and
others through interaction, observation and measurement.

Competency 4. - All nurses must ascertain and respond to the physical, social and
psychological needs of people, groups and communities. They must then plan,
deliver and evaluate safe, competent, person centered care in partnership with
them, paying special attention to changing health needs during different life stages,
including progressive illness and death, loss and bereavement.

Competency 5. - All nurses must understand public health principles, prioritise

in order to recognise and respond to the major causes and determinants, of health,
illness and health inequalities. They must use a range of information and data to
assess the needs of people, groups, communities and populations, and work to
improve health, wellbeing and experience of healthcare; secure equal access to
health screening, health promotion and healthcare; and promote social inclusion.

Competency 6. - All nurses must practice safely by being aware of the correct use,
limitations and hazards of common interventions, including nursing activities,
treatments, and the use of medical devices and equipment. The nurse must be able
to evaluate their use, report any concerns promptly through appropriate channels
and modify care where necessary to maintain safety. They must contribute to the
collection of local and national data and formulation of policy on risks, hazards
and adverse outcomes.

Competency 7. - All nurses must be able to recognise and interpret signs of

normal and deteriorating mental and physical health and respond promptly to
maintain or improve the health and comfort of the service user, acting to keep
them and others safe.

Competency 8. - All nurses must provide educational support, facilitation skills

and therapeutic nursing interventions to optimise health and wellbeing. They
must promote self- care and management whenever possible, helping people to
make choices about their needs involving families and carers where appropriate,
to maximise their ability to care for themselves.

Competency 9. - All nurses must be able to recognise when a person is at risk and
in need of extra support and protection and take reasonable steps to protect them
from abuse.

Competency 10. - All nurses must evaluate their care to improve clinical decision-
making, quality and outcomes, using a range of methods, amending the plan of
care, where necessary, and communicating change to others.
 Domain 4: Leadership,
management and team working

Competency 1. All nurses must act as change agents and provide leadership
through quality improvement and service development to enhance people's
wellbeing and experience of healthcare.

Competency 2. All nurses must systematically evaluate care and ensure that they
and others use the findings to help improve peoples' experience and care
outcomes and to shape future services.

Competency 3. All nurses must be able to identify priorities and mange time and
resources effectively to ensure the quality of care is maintained.

Competency 4. All nurses must be self-aware and recognise how their own values,
principles and assumptions may affect their practice. They must maintain their
own personal and professional development, learning from experience, through
supervision, feedback and reflection.

Competency 5. All nurses must facilitate nursing students and others to develop
their competence, using a range of professional and personal development.

Competency 6. All nurses must work independently as well as in teams. They

must be able to take the lead in coordinating, delegating and supervising care
safely, managing risk and remaining accountable for the care.

Competency 7. All nurses must work effectively across professional and agency
boundaries, actively involving and respecting others' contributions to integrated
person-centered care. They must know when and how to communicate with and
refer to other professionals and agencies in order to respect the choices of service
users and others, promoting shared decision making, to deliver positive outcomes
and to coordinate smooth, effective transition within and between services and
agencies.
 Field Specific Competency: Adult
Nursing
Competency (Adult Nurses) and Application This part of the test has 9 sections of
competency which are key areas to revise and study.

Section 1:

Adult nurses must understand and apply current legislation to all service
users, paying special attention to the protection of vulnerable people,
including those with complex needs arising from ageing, cognitive
impairment, long-term conditions and those approaching the end of life.

You must be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following:

 Apply current legal, ethical and professional requirements to older people with
complex needs.

 Apply current legal, ethical and professional requirements to people with

complex needs and cognitive impairment.

 Apply current legal, ethical and professional requirements to people with

complex needs and Long term conditions.

 Apply current legal, ethical and professional requirements to people with

complex needs as they near end of life.

Section 2:

Adult nurses must promote the concept, knowledge and practice of self- care
with people with acute and long-term conditions, using a range of
communication skills and strategies. Refer to NMC blue print for further
reading on:

 Acute medical and surgical conditions

 Long term conditions
Section 3:

Adult nurses must be able to recognise and respond to the needs of all
people who come into their care including babies, children and young
people, pregnant and postnatal women, people with mental health problems,
people with physical disabilities, people with learning disabilities, older
people, and people with long term problems such as cognitive impairment.
You must be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following:

 Responding to the needs of babies and children

 Responding to the needs of young people

 Responding to the needs of pregnant women

 Responding to the needs of postnatal

 Responding to the needs of people with mental health problem

 Responding to the needs of people with physical disability

 Responding to the needs of people with learning disabilities

 Responding to the needs of older people

 Responding to people with long term problems

Section 4:

Adult nurses must safely use a range of diagnostic skills, employing

appropriate technology, to assess the needs of service users. Refer to NMC
blue print for further reading on:

 A range of diagnostic skills using technology

Section 5:

Adult nurses must safely use invasive and non-invasive procedures, medical
devices, and current technological and pharmacological interventions,
where relevant, in medical and surgical nursing practice, providing
information and taking account of individual needs and preferences. You
must be able to demonstrate knowledge of the following:
 Invasive and non-invasive procedures

 Safe use of medical devices

 Safe use of current technology

 Pharmacological interventions

 Medical nursing context

 Surgical nursing context

Section 6:

Adult nurses must recognise and respond to the changing needs of adults,
families and carers during terminal illness. They must be aware of how
treatment goals and service users’ choices may change at different stages of
progressive illness, loss and bereavement. Refer to NMC blue print for further
reading on how to:

 Understand changing needs of adults, families and carers during terminal

illness

Section 7

Adult nurses must recognise the early signs of illness in people of all ages.
They must make accurate assessments and start appropriate and timely
management of those who are acutely ill, at risk of clinical deterioration, or
require emergency care. You must be able to demonstrate knowledge on
how to:

 Recognise early signs of illness in people of all ages

 Make accurate initial assessment

 Manage acute illness  Manage clinical deterioration

 Emergency care

Section 8:

Adult nurses must understand the normal physiological and psychological

processes of pregnancy and childbirth. They must work with the midwife
and other professionals and agencies to provide basic nursing care to
pregnant women and families during pregnancy and after childbirth. They
must be able to respond safely and effectively in an emergency to safeguard
the health of mother and baby. Refer to NMC blue print for further reading
on how to:

 Recognise specific risks to health and wellbeing of pregnant women and babies
and respond effectively in an emergency to safeguard the health of mother and
baby.

Section 9:

Adult nurses must work in partnership with people who have long-term
conditions that require medical or surgical nursing, and their families and
carers, to provide therapeutic nursing interventions, optimise health and
wellbeing, facilitate choice and maximise self-care and self-management.
You must be able to demonstrate knowledge of:

 Partnership working with people, families and carers with long term conditions
requiring medical or surgical intervention.